Meredith Snider and Brendan de Montigny pose for a portrait in their new gallery which opens August 16 in Ottawa.

Chris Roussakis /
Ottawa Citizen

Is there a budding renaissance of visual art on Elgin Street? Another gallery is opening, and it’s not the first.

The Canada Council for the Arts recently moved to the new Morgaurd building, across from city hall, and opened a public gallery space on the ground floor. Now a group of artists, curators and investors is opening a small gallery a few blocks south at 361 Elgin, between popular eateries the Lieutenant’s Pump and Oz Cafe.

“It’s a cozy, 300-square feet white cube,” says Brendan de Montigny, one of the principals at PDA Projects Gallery. “We describe it as a hybrid art gallery and program space. Our mandate is Canadian emerging art.”

Ottawa Fury FC forward Oliver, centre, fights for the ball against New York Cosmos defenceman Carlos Mendes, right, during their NASL soccer match-up at TD Place on Sunday,, July 20, 2014.

Chris Roussakis /
Ottawa Citizen

A defensive lapse that gave away a goal, a couple of golden chances wasted and two chances denied by questionable refereeing cost the Ottawa Fury in their debut at TD Place Sunday in front of a North American Soccer League record-breaking crowd.

Despite having a majority of the possession against the New York Cosmos, the Fury let opportunity slip through their hands on a goal by Sebastian Guenzatti that came 37 minutes into the game. The tally held up as New York won the contest 1-0.

What made it more frustrating for coach Marc Dos Santos and his men was that they had taken control of the game at this stage only to be undone by a breakaway as the Fury lost composure for a moment. That was all it took.

Ernie Hughes, president of the Barrhaven branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, suggests that the Strandherd-Armstrong Bridge should be named the Vimy bridge.

Chris Roussakis, file photo /
Ottawa Citizen

Veterans on either side of the Rideau River have banded together to ask the city to consider naming Ottawa’s newest bridge after one of Canada’s greatest military victories.

The Royal Canadian Legion branches in Manotick and Barrhaven suggest the recently opened Strandherd-Armstrong bridge be named Vimy Bridge.

“Vimy Ridge was one of the greatest battles in World War I,” said Ernie Hughes, president of the Barrhaven Legion. “It brought Canada together as a nation at that time and we were a force to be dealt with in the future. That’s why Vimy Bridge, to me, means an awful lot, and an awful lot to our veterans.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Vadym Prystaiko, sits down for an interview on Monday July 21, 2014.

Pat McGrath /
Ottawa Citizen

The downing of a Malaysian civilian jet focused world attention anew on Russia’s role in the separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Vadym Prystaiko, talked with Mark Kennedy about the crisis.

A woman, captivated by Ian Sabourin’s haunting voice, reaches out and grabs his hand while he sings at the corner of Bank and Queen Street Monday afternoon.

Julie Oliver /
Ottawa Citizen

Ian Sabourin sang at the corner of Bank and Queen streets on Monday afternoon, July 21, 2014. The young counter tenor – who could be heard a block away – hopes to study in Toronto this year and had people literally stop in their tracks as he sang.

Arthur McGregor, owner of the Ottawa Folklore Centre on Bank Street, was touched when locals and musicians suggested a benefit concert to get the store over a tight spot. The benefit will be held July 31st.

Julie Oliver /
Ottawa Citizen

It’s been a tough year for the Ottawa Folklore Centre, the venerable Bank Street folk-music institution, but a fundraising concert and adjustments to the business plan are part of a strategy to turn things around.

“We had terrible Christmas sales and a bad winter,” says owner Arthur McGregor, who opened the music school and retail shop in 1976. “Student registration is down, and it’s never been a real profitable business to start with. At the moment it’s a choice whether or not we close. We decided to fight for it first.”

One of the first people to jump on board was Bill Garrett, co-owner of the respected Toronto-based folk and roots label, Borealis Records. He rounded up some of Eastern Ontario’s finest musicians, including Lynn Miles, James Keelaghan, Finest Kind and more, to play a fundraising concert on July 31. The musicians he approached are happy to help a business that has supported them for years.

Welcome hot weather for the Ottawa area had residents seeking diversion to escape the heat on Monday, July 21, 2014. People sitting along the Rideau Locks on the Ottawa River.

Ottawa Citizen

It looks like Tuesday will be a scorcher in the Capital, with forecasters predicting highs of around 31 C.

But it’s expected to be more unpleasant in a number of Eastern Ontario communities, where the agency has issued a heat warning for the day.

Heat warnings are issued when Environment Canada calculates a humidex reading of 40 or more for at least two consecutive days.

Warnings have been issued for Prescott-Russell, Cornwall, Maxville, Morrisburg and Winchester, where Environment Canada says the region will be under the influence of of a ‘Bermuda High’-type pressure system.

Ottawa police brought out the canine (K-9) unit to help investigate a west-end shooting around the vicinity of 121 Ritchie Street on Monday, July 21, 2014.

Mike Carroccetto /
Ottawa Citizen

The fourth incident of a man being shot in the leg in as many weeks is leaving some residents of a community housing complex that is no stranger to violence wondering where those intent on committing crimes will draw the line.

A man phoned 911 just after 3 p.m. Monday after being shot once in the lower left leg. Witnesses reported driving into the parking lot at the Britannia Woods community housing development on Ritchie Street, hearing one loud bang and finding a man in the parking lot, who pointed to his leg and then said he’d been shot.

Paramedics arrived to transport the man to hospital. His injury is not life-threatening.

“Look how many kids are in this neighbourhood,” one resident, who asked not to be named, said. “It’s broad daylight.”

From left: Mayor Jim Watson, Noel Buckley, John Cosentino, Maria McRae, and Antoine Pouliot celebrate after hearing that Ottawa will host the city for One Young Wold Conference in 2016.

Chris Roussakis /
Ottawa Citizen

In two years, Ottawa will get a dose of internationl young blood when more than 1,300 youth from 190 countries descend upon the capital for the One Young World Conference.

The national capital was informed early Monday morning that it would host the 2016 event, an announcement that was live-streamed from London to the Ottawa Convention Centre, where local officials eagerly awaited word.

The annual conference, which started in 2010, gathers 18- to 30-year-olds to debate and discuss global issues, with the goal of finding solutions. These delegates, dubbed by conference organizers as the world’s next leaders, are a mix of entrepreneurs, businesspeople, humanitarians and creators.

Lisa McDonnell is the lead author of a new study, commissioned by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, that found that most Canadian women lack knowledge of heart disease symptoms and risk factors.

Chris Roussakis /
Ottawa Citizen

A majority of women in Canada are woefully unaware of heart disease symptoms and risk factors, says a new study commissioned by the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

Though similar studies have been done in the United States and Europe, this is the first to assess knowledge, attitudes and perceptions regarding heart disease among Canadian women. As well, 70 per cent of heart health research to date has focused on males.

Founders of the Miracle League of Ottawa (left to right), Rolly and Michelle Desrochers and the president David Gourlay vote for the Miracle League of Ottawa’s ball diamond and playground project at Notre Dame des Champs Park on Monday, July 21, 2014.

James Park /
Ottawa Citizen

A group trying to build Ottawa’s first baseball diamond and playground designed for children with special needs is competing for a prize of $100,000.

The Miracle League of Ottawa is asking people to vote for its project in the Kraft Celebration Tour competition. Mayor Jim Watson cast the first vote for the not-for-profit organization at 9 a.m. Monday, when the competition opened online.

“This tremendous community project will provide healthy recreation opportunities for local children with special needs,” Watson said, adding council has committed space at Notre Dame des Champs Park in Orléans, plus as much as $500,000 in funding.

The Ottawa project, with an overall cost of $1 million, is one of 10 finalists in the Kraft competition. So far, $700,000 has been raised. Construction could start in the spring of 2015 if funding is secured by the end of the year.

Ben Ing is home in Ottawa just now, visiting family. Here, he’s shown in his boyhood backyard, holding his grandmother’s cleaver.

Julie Oliver /
Ottawa Citizen

The 20-course tasting menu at Noma is full of culinary surprises, but the most unexpected part of my four-hour meal in April was the presentation of a dish of seaweed ice cream and aronia berries by a young chef with a Canadian accent.

Noma is chef Rene Redzepi’s two-Michelin starred Copenhagen restaurant, which recently regained its spot at the top of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list (it is the fourth time it has received this accolade, though it had lost the title in 2013).

Redzepi is celebrated for his spotlight on Denmark’s local ingredients, translating the country’s landscape and culture into every plate. But his kitchen is also a melting pot of international culinary talent, with chefs from all corners of the world dropping by to hone their skills as stagiers, with a select lucky few sticking around.

Linebacker Jason Pottinger as the Ottawa Redblacks practised for the first time since winning their home opener at the University of Ottawa Tuesday, July 22, 2014 – on a scorcher of a day.

Julie Oliver /
Ottawa Citizen

Jason Pottinger knows his way around McMaster University’s Hamilton campus. He went to school there. What he doesn’t know is what it’s like to play a football game at Mac’s Ron Joyce Stadium.

“I was part of the crew that grunted it down to Ivor Wynne (Stadium) every day, even for practice, and put in all that extra time by jumping around from place to place. For the boys now, I hope they appreciate it,” said Pottinger, whose last game as a Marauder was in 2005, three years before McMaster football moved into its current home.

All this matters because Pottinger and his Redblacks teammates will get a first-hand look at 6,000-seat Ron Joyce Stadium when they face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats there on Saturday.

The game was to be the Tiger-Cats’ debut at 22,500-seat Tim Hortons Field, but construction delays on Hamilton’s new home and and the venue for 2015 Pan American Games soccer have forced Saturday’s contest and the July 31 matchup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to the McMaster facility.

People march along Wellington Street in support of Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

Justin Tang /
Ottawa Citizen

A line of police officers used their bodies and bikes as a blockade Tuesday when pro-Palestinian protesters marched passed a small crowd of Israeli supporters near Parliament Hill.

One side shouted slogans such as “Down with Hamas” — the other “Free Gaza,” but soon the marchers were on their way, holding flags and signs listing the names and ages of the dead in Gaza.

It was a brief skirmish in the ongoing war of words, reflecting both the proximity and impassioned perspectives held by each side, present in Canada as well as the Middle East.

The group of more than a dozen Israeli supporters stood just one block from where hundreds of demonstrators filled the sidewalk in front of the Prime Minister’s Office and called on Stephen Harper to condemn recent Israeli actions in Gaza.

Lili Weemen stands in front of the broken elevator at her Metcalfe Street apartment building.

Julie Oliver /
Ottawa Citizen

Tenants of an eight-storey, 60-unit apartment building at 255 Metcalfe St. would like to see what they consider the elevator from hell exorcised.

The lone elevator, which they say has been erratic at best for years, has been out of service since mid-March because it needs a part that has to be manufactured. Otis, which installed the elevator about 60 years ago when the building went up at the southeast corner of Metcalfe and MacLaren streets, did not have one in stock.

The broken elevator has been more than an inconvenience. One tenant, who suffers from a serious heart problem, says she missed the first step of the stairwell after leaving her apartment Monday and stumbled down one flight. Luckily, she only banged up a foot. Others, because they are old and ailing, say they don’t go out unless it is absolutely necessary.

Ottawa city councillor Maria McRae at the still unfinished Airport Parkway footbridge on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

Mike Carroccetto /
Ottawa Citizen

Late, over-budget and the basis of the city’s multimillion dollar lawsuit against the original designer, the much-maligned Airport Parkway pedestrian and cycling bridge is now moving along full-steam ahead.

“We’re on schedule now,” said River Coun. Maria McRae, who took the Citizen on a tour of the construction site this week and provided a progress report.

The cement tower that rises 30 metres over the Airport Parkway is arguably the bridge’s most striking feature. Some have said it looks like the Olympic flame from last winter’s games in Socchi, Russia.

Dawn and Denis Smith moved to Ottawa ten years ago, in part to be closer to the Ottawa Chamberfest.

Justin Tang /
Ottawa Citizen

For Dawn and Denis Smith, Chamberfest was the reason they moved from Port Hope to Ottawa 10 years ago.

The Smiths were professors at Trent University (she of Spanish and he of Politics). When they retired they packed up and headed east to Ottawa.

“The reason we did move to Ottawa,” Dawn said in an interview, “was the Chamberfest and the existence of good classical music in Ottawa. We used to hear it on CBC when they broadcast concerts. And we would follow it passionately.”

Members of Team Manitoba cheer as they arrive for dinner on the eve of the opening of the Jeux de la Francophonie Canadienne in Gatineau on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.

Justin Tang /
Ottawa Citizen

C’est magnifique: From Wednesday until Sunday, Gatineau is host to Les Jeux de la francophonie canadienne, one of the country’s biggest regular gatherings of francophone youth.

The event is expected to attract 1,200 francophone participants between the ages of 13 and 18, as well as 20,000 spectators and 750 volunteers. About 200 people have been involved in putting the event together.

The games, held every three years, are an opportunity for hundreds of francophone youth from across the country to display their talents in three major areas: arts, leadership and sports. Each Canadian province and territory selects youth to represent them in the games.

Justin Timberlake performed on the stage at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday, July 22, 2014, a stop along his 20/20 Experience World Tour.

Ashley Fraser /
Ottawa Citizen

With a voice that soared to the rafters and feet that flashed like quicksilver, Justin Timberlake delighted a sellout crowd of 18,500 crammed into Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday, his first concert in the nation’s capital in more than a decade.

At one point, Timberlake recalled being in Ottawa only once before, way back in the year 2000 during his ‘N Sync years.

“We’re going to make up for it today,” he promised. “We’re going to have a party here.”

Sure enough, the 33-year-old singer-songwriter-actor-producer delivered a goody-filled bag of fun, a show that was not only packed with energy-loaded hits and crowd-pleasing covers but also delivered with a classic sense of showmanship.

Ottawa Senators Mike Hoffman signed autographs and took pictures with fans at the Bell Sensplex on Wednesday, July 23, 2014.

Chris Roussakis /
Ottawa Citizen

Hockey teams are often searching for another right-handed shot, at forward and on defence.

And yet, depending on a team’s depth chart, it can be a blessing to be a left-handed-shooting left winger.

Mike Hoffman hopes that is the case. As the Senators sort out their lineup for the 2014-15 season, the 24-year-old has a better chance of being a full-time NHLer on left wing position, considering the right wingers include: Bobby Ryan, Mark Stone, Alex Chiasson (acquired in the Jason Spezza trade) and Curtis Lazar (a centre who could move to right wing). Even Mika Zibanejad has played a lot of right wing, although with Spezza gone, he figures to line up behind Kyle Turris at centre.

Hèléne Cayer has been planting flowers – this year lilies – for six years without any trouble on the city owned property between the road and the sidewalk in front of her St. Laurent Boulevard home.

David Kawai /
Ottawa Citizen

All Hélène Cayer wants is to plant lilies and lemon balm on the grassy strip between the sidewalk and the street.

It’s city property, but she says city officials have told her for years they’re OK with that, as long as she put a little fence around the flowers. She bought one, the white wire kind used for edging, at the Dollar Store.

Over the years she has outwitted flower thieves (they stole hosta and peonies at night, so she switched to more durable yellow and orange lilies) and kept the plot neat. Just like hundreds of other people in the city, she says.

But lately, the city keeps cutting down the lilies in front of her house on St. Laurent Boulevard — three times so far. They confiscated her fence.

Massed military bands, along with The Band of the Ceremonial Guard, rehearse on Wednesday evening, July 23, 2014 for the 18th annual Fortissimo.

David Kawai /
Ottawa Citizen

The soldiers and band of the Ceremonial Guard of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) will host the 18th annual Fortissimo celebration from July 24 to 26, at 7:30 p.m. on Parliament Hill, according to a federal government news release.

More from the release:

Fortissimo is a military concert and sunset ceremony conducted on the lawn of Parliament Hill. The event will feature military brass bands, pipes & drums, guest performers and the soldiers of the Ceremonial Guard. Admission is free and lawn chairs or blankets for seating are recommended. Fortissimo is a showcase event that has drawn thousands of spectators since it began in 1997.

The Ottawa Fury FC hosted the Scottish League One champion Rangers FC in the first ever international friendly game at TD Place on Wednesday, July 23, 2014.

Chris Roussakis /
Ottawa Citizen

TD Place was the stage for another memorable evening Wednesday and even though the result went the wrong way for local fans, Ottawa Fury FC and the Glasgow Rangers FC gave 8,643 in the stadium an entertaining display of quality soccer.

The Scottish visitors, playing the final game of their North American pre-season tour, won 1-0 on a tremendous strike by Nicky Law.

The man to feel most sorry for was goalkeeper Romuald Peiser, the Frenchman who joined the Fury in the break between NASL seasons. The first time he touched the ball as a Fury player, he was picking it out of the back of his net.

This was the only score in a game that saw Rangers dominate the first half and the Fury take the second.

Highway 174 in the city’s east end reopened late Thursday afternoon, almost 24 hours after a car-truck crash sent one woman to hospital in critical condition and caused major delays as crews worked to remove the tractor-trailer from a ditch and clean up a fuel spill.

Ottawa Fire Service estimated that 100 to 200 litres of fuel spilled into the Ottawa River before crews detected the leak from the truck’s side tanks.

Ottawa Fire spokesman Marc Messier said he realized many people would ask how a night accident was still being cleaned up the next day.

“I guess it’s probably surprising as to why almost 24 hours later the road is still closed. They have to understand it’s very heavy equipment and it’s a very long process,” said Messier, adding the load of sand the truck was carrying had to be removed and the truck divided into sections before it could be lifted from the 15-foot ditch.

QB Henry Burris throws as the Redblacks held their final practice at TD Place on Thursday before their road game at Hamilton on Saturday.

Pat McGrath /
Ottawa Citizen

Dan LeFevour and Henry Burris go much further back than their two seasons spent side-by-side in the locker room of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“Shoot, I grew up watching him,” LeFevour said Friday. “I remember being in high school and he was starting on Monday Night Football for the Chicago Bears (in 2002). I grew up in Chicago, and I remember watching this guy play.

“I don’t mean to make him feel old . … Yes I do.”

Oh, yeah?

“It’s good to see I don’t have to change his diapers anymore,” Burris responded. “Hopefully he’ll hold himself together now.”

Newly-appointed Algonquin college president Cheryl Jensen will begin her duties on August 25.

James Park /
Ottawa Citizen

Cheryl Jensen was announced Thursday as Algonquin College’s eighth president. Jensen comes to the college — which has campuses in Ottawa, Perth and Pembroke — after working for 31 years at Hamilton’s Mohawk College, where she was as a professor, dean and vice-president. The Citizen spoke to Jensen, who starts on Aug. 25, about her new role.

Councillor Mathieu Fleury wades in the shallow waters of the Rideau River. Fleury joined mayor Jim Watson; Peter Clark, and Transportation Committee Chair Keith Egli to break ground on a new pedestrian and cycling bridge across the Rideau River, linking Donald Street with Somerset Street East.

Pat McGrath /
Ottawa Citizen

The city broke ground Thursday on a foot bridge over the Rideau River that will link Sandy Hill and Vanier.

The $9.2-million pedestrian and cycling bridge will connect the neighbourhoods of Overbrook and Vanier in the east, via Donald Street, with Sandy Hill and the University of Ottawa in the west, via Somerset Street East and Strathcona Park.

“I can’t wait to ride it. It’s going to be an amazing connection point,” said Rideau-Vanier Coun. Mathieu Fleury, who rode his bicycle to the afternoon announcement to drive home the point.

Lynn Boudreault stands with the Chainsaw Sculpture artist Josh Dagg and the sculpture he created for her Aylmer garden.

Cole Burston /
Ottawa Citizen

Josh Dagg bought himself a thousand-dollar chainsaw for his 36th birthday Wednesday, adding it to six or seven others that are in working condition and two or three in need of some tender loving care.

Why does he need so many chainsaws?

It’s nothing malevolent. Dagg, 36, is a professional chainsaw carver. The Aylmer artist is getting ready for the 10th English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition, an international contest to take place in Cheshire, England, from Aug. 23 to 25.

Part of his work includes repurposing dead ash trees that are being chopped down because of emerald ash borer infestations in Ottawa and Gatineau.

Firefighters battle a rowhouse blaze at 109 Abaca Way in Stittsville on Thursday, July 24, 2014.

Mike Carroccetto /
Ottawa Citizen

Ottawa Fire Services says a carelessly discarded cigarette was the cause of Thursday’s fire that left seven people, including at least two families, displaced.

The three-alarm fire tore through a rowhouse in Stittsville, leaving it uninhabitable.

An investigation indicates the fire started after a tenant threw the burning butt into a planter about an hour before the blaze started. It is believed the fire traveled from the melted planter on the deck up to the back of the house and into the units.

Firefighters were called to 109 Abaca Way shortly after 5:45 p.m. When they arrived the two-storey unit was engulfed in flames and the fire was spreading to an attached unit. A second alarm was issued and crews were in “aggressive attack mode inside the units” to douse the flames, Ottawa Fire Services said.

FRIDAY: Ibrahim Ghani throws his cape up behind him and strikes his best superhero pose in front of skyscrapers made from shoe boxes at the Ottawa Art Gallery’s kid camp on Friday, July 25, 2014. He named his character Fireboy.

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